Money is a means to ease transactions.

Sort of a grease that makes the society’s joints work more smoothly. However once it starts to accumulate in odd places, it stops serving the means, it rather becomes a tool for a select few.

A favour is a means of transaction too.

I do something for you. You do something for me. But not tit for tat, I just do favours to the ones I trust. If you dishonour this trust, then I stop doing favours for you. In family I don’t ask, I serve, it’s even not called favours, it’s a duty, an honour. It’s the same with friends it’s just that the ties are looser. It’s the same with strangers, the ties there are called values, ethics.

So where does added value appear? In economic theory added value is a result of work, better tech, most often just a matter of asymetry in information. I can sell the added value and earn money, or give away the added value and earn trust.

What shall I do? Go for trust every time. Except where your counterparty can’t reprocicate. If they don’t have anything else than money, then take money.

Money is the least valuable currency in the system of values. Values first, money last.